Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz and Feliz Ranch, is a district of the City of Los Angeles, California. Feliz means "happy" in Spanish, in which it is pronounced /fe'liθ/. However, the local English pronunciation is roughly /'fiːlɪz/.
It lies north of East Hollywood and just south of the Santa Monica Mountains, at its feet, between the neighborhoods of Hollywood, and Silver Lake. It is home to Griffith Park and Griffith Observatory which just re-opened after its extensive $93 million renovation, along with the world famous Greek Theatre which many have called the worlds greatest amphitheater, along with The Prospect Studios (formally known as ABC Television Center) is located in the neighborhood at the intersection of Prospect Aveune and Talmadge Street. The area is generally considered to be bordered by Hollywood Boulevard on the south, Hyperion Avenue on the southeast, Griffith Park on the north, the Los Angeles River on the east, and Western Avenue on the west. It is traversed by Los Feliz Boulevard, which separates the wealthy upper class section, located in the hills north of the boulevard, and the more upper-middle and middle class abodes to the south.
The neighborhood has historically been home to movie stars, musicians, other glitterati, and the Hollywood elite. It is home to some of the more interesting residential architecture in the city, including two homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: Ennis House and the Hollyhock House which is nestled inside the Barnsdall Art Park. During the 1950s, Los Feliz was also home to an energetic village that was flocked by its residents and also the rest of Los Angeles. There was a decline in popularity during the 1970s but the district was rediscovered by pioneering gays in the 1980s, and a decade-long period of gentrification resulted in Los Feliz regaining its popularity. The district's popularity was also boosted by its prominence in the 1996 film, Swingers.
The Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills area is considered home to elite and wealthy residents of Los Angeles. Most of the mansions and private estates (dating back to the 1920s) are located among the hills overlooking Griffith Park. Between Hollywood Hills and the heart of Los Feliz, it's nearly impossible to get through a month without seeing a taping of a popular TV series or major motion picture.
Notable residents
- Crispin Glover
- Elvira
- Kirstie Alley
- James L. Avery, Sr.
- Michael Balzary (aka Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)
- Beck (Musician)
- Valerie Bertinelli
- Danny Bonaduce
- William J. Bratton
- Johnnie Cochran (where he died in April 2005)
- Lyor Cohen
- Katharine Cornell
- Glenn Danzig (ex-resident)
- Geena Davis
- Cecil B. DeMille
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Shepard Fairey
- Colin Farrell
- Heidi Fleiss
- Lauren Graham
- Howard Hughes (died in 1976)
- Al Jolson
- Tony Kanal (also where his Kingsbury Studios is located)
- Maynard James Keenan
- Anthony Kiedis
- Leno & Rosemary LaBianca (killed in 1969)
- Ali Landry
- Arthur Lee (died in 2006)
- Adam Levine (musician)
- Bela Lugosi (died in 1956)
- Madonna (North American residence)
- Aimee Mann
- Mandy Moore
- Pat O'Brien
- Michael Penn
- Brad Pitt (part-time resident)
- Giovanni Ribisi
- Gavin Rossdale
- Kim Shattuck
- Slash
- Gwen Stefani
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Brian Transeau
- Blair Underwood
- Edward Van Halen
- Butch Walker
- Vivian Campbell
Nightlife
Los Feliz village is home to numerous restaurants and bars. They are mostly located on Hillhurst between Los Feliz Blvd. & Prospect Ave., and on Vermont between Franklin Ave. & Hollywood Blvd. Below are listed a few of these establishments.
The Derby, at Hillhurst and Los Feliz, the last remaining location of the historic The Brown Derby chain, was featured in the movie Swingers and is a traditional favorite, with swing dancing on select nights and live music almost every other night of the week, and comedy on Monday.
Tangier bar and restaurant, across the street, sports a trendy decor with a back room that supports live music and VIP events.
Ye Rustic Inn, a few blocks down on Hillhurst, has a friendly pub-like atmosphere with a questionable jukebox and flat screen TVs on which to watch games on Sundays.
The Drawing Room, is a small dive bar that offers the popular Sunday night karaoke.
Hyperion Tavern, [1] is a small neighborhood bar on Hyperion Avenue. Chandeliers, a law library, a stage, and glory hole. Formerly the notorious leather gay bar, Cuff's, now open to anyone Tuesday to Saturday, 10 to 2am.
The Good Luck Bar is a Chinese themed bar at Hillhurst & Hollywood that offers Polynesian specialty drinks and Chinese whiskey. It also has a lounge area in the back that offers comfortable chairs and couches. There is also a remarkably great jukebox hidden in the corner.
The Tiki Ti Bar, located at the edge of Sunset junction was founded in 1961. It is one of the oldest (and smallest) bars in Los Feliz area. Verify their hours, as it is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
The Dresden Room on Vermont, also featured in the film Swingers, has live entertainment 6 nights a week by the world (in)famous Marty & Elayne.
Fred 62 on Vermont is notable for its 24 hour diner fusion style menu.
Recreation
There is much to do in Los Feliz, which is bordered by Griffith Park and the village of Los Feliz. It is home to the Los Angeles Zoo, along with a merry-go-round, two 18 hole golf courses, a driving range, baseball field several tennis courts, athletic fields, hiking, and equestrian trails in the mountains away from the residential district. At Traveltown there is a miniature railroad operated by the Los Angeles Live Steamers and a collection of railroad locomotives, passenger cars and street cars.
At the Greek Theatre, which was built to resemble a Greek ampitheatre, visitors can attend concerts under the stars. The newly renovated Griffith Observatory and planetarium is right up the hill from Los Feliz.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, it is estimated that there were 40,573 people residing in the Griffith Park/Los Feliz area. The ethnic or racial makeup of the area was 70.54% non-Hispanic White, 3.77% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 8.61% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 2.37% from other races, and 6.45% from two or more races. 16.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a household in Los Feliz was approx $97,104.
Rancho Los Feliz
The rugged, chaparral covered mountains of Griffith Park rise just a few miles north and west of downtown Los Angeles. An oasis in a major metropolis, much of the park's land remains in its natural state. One of the earliest leaders and protectors of the pueblo received this land as a token of appreciation by the Spanish government. This area was once the 6,647 acre Rancho Los Feliz, one of the first land grants in California, given to Corporal Jose Vicente Feliz. An old adobe house built in the 1830s by heirs of Feliz still stands in Griffith Park on Crystal Springs Drive.
Rancho Los Feliz had a succession of owners after the Feliz family. One owner, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith, donated over half of the ranch to the city of Los Angeles, which became one of the largest city owned parks in the country.
Long before the Spanish settlers arrived to settle near the banks of the Los Angeles River, Indians were the only inhabitants. The Indians established villages known as rancherias throughout the countryside. One of these settlements was located within the boundaries of what was to become Rancho Los Feliz. Archeological surveys have found evidence of a substantial rancheria that existed in the mouth of Fern Dell Canyon in Griffith Park. It is estimated that the Indians first came to this area approximately 10,000 years ago. The traditional name of this village is not known, but the inhabitants were Gabrielinos. This name was given by the Spanish because of the Indians' association with the San Gabriel Mission. When Gaspar de Portola traveled through the vicinity in 1769 his expedition encountered members of this village.
In 1882, Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith acquired 4,071 acres of Rancho Los Feliz. The Lick estate still owned the southwest portion of the rancho and there developed the Lick Tract, which later became a part of Hollywood. Griffith never served in any branch of armed forces in the United States, but he was given a courtesy title of "Colonel" from influential friends in the California National Guard. The title remained a permanent fixture to his name.
Griffith died on July 6, 1919 at the age of 67. Griffith bequeathed $700,000 and his Los Feliz acreage to the city of Los Angeles to be used for additions to Griffith Park. The park's acreage was increased to over 4,100 acres. In 1930 the Greek Amphitheater was built as designed by Griffith himself. Funds from the Griffith estate were used to build an observatory at the peak of Mount Hollywood. In 1935 the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium was completed and opened to the public. Griffith's will also included a provision for a permanent endowment to maintain the theater and park grounds.
Education
Residents in Los Feliz are assigned to the Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Feliz Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library is located in Los Feliz Village.